Safeguard for electrld circuits



w. R. cox. y SAFEGUARD FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I, 1917. f I.

Patented May 17, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2" l E34/wanten W. R. COX.

'SAFEGUARD FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

' APPLICATION FILEDYOCTK I, I9I7. Patented 3 SHEEIS-SHEET 3.

"Fig: 7

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` kof the coil box. Briefly, it hasbeenpossible inders to y-permitvthe theftof the machine UNITED srATEs PATENT OFFICE.

vvamaENl n. cox,y or CLEVELAND, omo.

' y' y snrEGUAnn roEELEcrEIc cractrrrs.

. yTio all wlwmwitimay come'm l vzen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State ofy Ohio, have invented certain new and use-- fuly Improvements in Safeguards for Elec- 'tric Circuits, of which the following isa specification.v

My lnvention relates to means for safeguarding automobiles or other vehicles employingfan electric ignitionsystem for van internali'combustion engine, `and the invention is an improvement on the safety devlce f showngand described inmyI application for Letterslatengled November 13, 1915, Ser. n

No. 61,263 now PatentNo.1,253,470:` lIn saidk application, a switch anda plurallty of spark coils kare locked by a common means to prevent theft of vthe automobile, and my present conception is to provide the switc with an auxiliaryy device, whereby all the `spark coils are grounded when the switch is turned off, thuspreventing an operativeelecl ytricalcircuit frombeing obtained by wires attached to the terminals exposed at the rear heretofore toy ground'oneof the Vspark coils y i and establish a working circuit on the other the coil box and switch as it appears secured coils so that a multiple cylinder engine could befoperatedon a 'sufficient number of'its cylunder certain circumstances.

In ther accompanying drawings, Figure 1 f f isfa `front view Of-a'coil ,box partl brokenv im rovement. Fig.`r 2 is.a{front view of the swltch" with the locking plate removed.

away,k and showing a lswitch embo ying my Fig. 3 is a vertical 'section centrall through the coil box andy lock-switch. Fig. 4 isa side elevation, andFig. 5 a front view, of

` to the'dash of a vehicle.` Fig. 6 isa hori- ,accessible only when the sparking units 6 containing ktheinduction coils are removed from themetal box 2. Each unit 6 has a set of contacts to'provideelectrical connection with the terminal posts L7 fixed to dashB and also electrical connection vwith abus bar 8 within the bottomof the box,rv These Vunits specification gf Letters Patent.

Beit known that LWARREN'VR. Cox,citi- `Patented Mayu, T1921.

- Application ledrOctobrer 1, 19,17. Serial No. 194,116.`

are removably seated within the box andare f locked in place by a screw 9 which extends through the base 10 of the electrical switch 11 at thefront of the box. The head of screw 9 and the switch are inclosed by a metal cover 12 carrying a Yale or equivalent lock` 13 requiring a key 14 to operate it to switch the electric current Aon and 01T andfalso to permit removal of the cover. rThe'switch `comprises a rotatable arm having a, metal segment 15 adapted to bridge and contact f with the spring contacts 16 and 17, respectively, when given a partial rotative movement clockwise from the neutral or offposit1on `shown in the severalr figures of the drawings. A f metal locking-'plate y18 is y screwed to base 10 at the front of the switch arm, and a notched arbor 19 rojects through this'ffplate and isA detachably engaged with a kfiat T-blade 20 vextending from the'rear end of rotatable cylinder of locky 13.

Thaty is, blade 20fmay be disengagedlfrom plate 18'when itsT end registers with the radial notches 21 in thefplate, but not other.- wise, and when locked together as shown in To prevent the operation and use oone or more of the spark colls or units 6 kby unauthorized persons who may have suicient knowledge ofthe wiring circuitsl to; wire the exposed terminals and establish a' workingcircuit to operate the engine in part, I vhave provided ythe apparatus above described with means to Fig.,3, the cover 12 cannot be removed nora, the switch operated without. key 14.

ground each and yall of the coils or sparking units' 6 by means ofa coiled spring22 adapted to be r'engaged by the switch segi ment 15 initsoff lor'neutral position, isee Figs. 2 and 6. This spring is sleeved loosely on a metal bolt .23 which extends-` through n plate 18 at one 'side of switch segment l, and a nut 2li-'secures thisbolt to the metal boxl 2, in this way establishing an electrical circuit to the ground through the box and a piece of'metal25 at the rearithereof where through the frame ofthe engine orother part of the machine, my aim being to ground the primary circuit throughiline 29 `in the ailixed by yoney of. the bolts 4to the dash 3. f .y

`Grounding of the `boxand.piece 25 is same yway as the .secondary circuit' 30 containing spark plugs 26 is grounded, see Fig.

7, which shovvsfthey four units 6 electrically:

connected with said elements and theswitch, and also shows -the bus bar 8 for all the units grounded through wire 29, segment 15,

spring 22, box 2 and piece 25. The bus bar is confined within box 2 beneath the units and cannot be reached until screw 9 is removed, but this screw cannotbe reached except when plate 1S and cover are removed. However, cover 12 cannot be removed nor the switch turned to break the ground connection between segment l5 and spring 22, without the use of key 141-. lTherefore, the single locking means employed, safeguards the operation of the switch, access to the operating parts of the switch and the grounding device as well as the locking screw 9 for the units, in this way preventing removal and theft of the coils or units 6 and access to the bus bar 8 and contacts. Grounding of the primary circuit under lock and key as described defeats any attempt to wire one or more of the units at the exposed terminals 7, thereby preventing the operation and theft of the vehicle, the main purpose of the invention.

lVhat 1 claim is:

l. A. coil box, sparking units removably mounted in said box, an electric switch and means for establishing and grounding an electric circuit for said units, and key-con trolled mechanism to operate said switch and prevent removal of said units from said box.

2. A box having a plurality of electrical sparking units removably secured therein, an electric switch and means to place said units in an electrical circuit and to ground said units when out of circuit, and a kejcontrolled locking device to prevent the operation of said switch.

3. An electrical circuit and a set of spark coils and an electric switch therein and means to ground the spark coils in said circuit, and a common means to lock the switch and coils and grounding means to prevent a working circuit from being established.

ifi plurality of spark coils and a container therefor, an electric circuit for said coilshaving a switch to establish a working circuit and to ground the coils, a cover to inclose said switch, and a single locking means to prevent operation of said switch and removal of said cover and the coils.

5. ln combination, a plurality of sparking coils and a box therefor, an electric switch to establish a working circuit for aid coils, means to ground said coils when the switch is in an off position, and a key-controlled mechanism for locking said switch and securing` said coils within said box.

6. In combination, a box. and a plural nmnbcr of sparking coils therein, an electric switch to control the operation of said coils mounted upon the box, means to secure the coils within the box, a grounding device for the coils, a cover inclosing said switch and securing means and the grounding device, and a key-controlled mechanism adapted to operate said switch and lock said cover.

7. A plurality of spark coils, a container for said coils, means to lock the coils in the container, an electric switch to control the use of the coils mounted upon said container, a grounding device for the coils controlled by said switch, a cover inclosing said switch and device and the locking means for the coils, and a lock and key adapted to operate said'switch and secure said cover in place to prevent access to the parts inclosed thereby.

8. A plurality of spark coils and a box therefor, a switch to place said coils in an electric circuit, a locking plate at the front of said switch, a circuit grounding device for said switch, a cover inclosing said switch and device and said plate, and a lock carried by said cover having operating connection with said switch.

9. il coil box having a plural number of sparking coils removably mounted therein, a switch base secured to said box having a switch in electrical connection with said coils, a grounding device for the coils operant by the movement of the switch, a locking member for the coils extending through the switch base, a cover for the switch and said locking member, and a key-controlled lock for the cover in operant engagement with the switch. Y A

l0. A box having contacts in the wall thereof, a plurality of sparking units seated within said box in engagement with said contacts, a locking element to secure said units within the box, an electric switch mounted upon the box in electrical connection with a contact for each unit, an auxiliary contact for the switch to ground the electrical connection for said sparking units7 a. cover to inclose said switch and locking element, and a lock and key for said cover hai/ing operant connection with the switch.

l1. ln means for safeguarding an automobile, spark coils, an electric circuit, a keycontrolled lock switch to place said coils in said electric circuit, and means adapted to ground the spark coils upon lturning the switch off.

l2. In combination, a plurality of spark coils having a primary circuit provided with means to ground the same, and a key-lock adapted to control the operation of said circuit-grounding means.

13. ln combination, an electric circuit havingl a source of electric current, coils in said circuit, a switch in said circuit, and a device for grounding the coils to render them inoperative when the switch is thrown open.

lllln'combination, an electric ignition circuit having a switch adapted to open and close the circuit, and means associated with the switch adapted to ground the electric current upon openingthe switch.

l5. In means to safeguard an automobile, an electric ignition circuit having coils and ignition devices anda magneto therein, a

` switch when thrown open.

16. An ignition circuit for ank automobile engine, a ykey-operated switch Yfor said cirtween the ignition'circuit and the source of cuit having a movable: contact member, and a circuit grounding device adapted kto be engaged b said contact member yin an open position o saidswitch. v

17. Anignition circuit in an automobile having coils and ignition devices and a inagneto and a switch fory connecting the inagneto to the coils, said switch being adapted to occup ya neutral position and break the circuit fromthe magneto tothe coils, and aidevice coperating with said'switch adapted toy groundthe circuit when the switch is in neutral position. ,e

18. The combination with a lead from a source of "current, oiany ignition circuit, a switch fork controllingthe connection becurrent, said switch having an operative and a neutral position, and a member automati-` cuit of an automobile or the like including the coils, ignition devices yelectrically connected thereto, a magnetokor the like, ka switch for` connecting the magneto to the coils,-said'switch having a neutral yposition wherein the circuit from the magneto to the coils/is broken, and an intercepting device adjusted by the switch to neutral position for grounding the magneto lead whenever an attempt is made to operate the ignition f circuit when the switch is in neutral position;

Signed at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, this 21st day of September, 1917.

p WARREN R. COX. 

